The Parade
August 20, 2005

Just today, my bride and I arose bright and early and harnessed
our team of Belgians, Homer and Jethro. We loaded them onto the front third
of our 24' gooseneck trailer and rolled the two-seated buggy onto the back two
thirds. We headed out at about 6:00 a.m. to attend the Tri-State Old Time Cowboys
breakfast in Gordon at 7:00 a.m., and then the parade started at 10:30 a.m.
Mrs. Soapweed and Brock went on to Rapid City to do some errands, and Saddletramp
rode with me in the buggy during the parade. In the back seat were the President
and Secretary of the Tri-State Old Cowboys, Billy Gibbons and Richard Barth.

As we rolled through the parade, Saddletramp philosophized, "There are
two kinds of people, those in the parade and those watching the parade."
He elaborated a bit and said that sometimes there is more to see when you are
looking at the crowd, than in just being a spectator of the parade. I was mulling
all this over in my mind as the parade dispersed.

Some of the majorettes in their skinny minis not too far ahead
of us were getting sore feet and stooped to take off their shoes so they could
walk barefooted on the hot asphalt (where is the logic?). All I could see was
thongs and bare backsides lookin' back at me. I would have been an unsafe driver
had I taken my eyes off of the road ahead. Guess ol' Saddletramp was right.